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Green Velvet Cupcake Recipe with Cream Cheese Icing

By: comment

You’ve probably heard of red velvet? It’s very popular for Valentine’s Day and Christmas, but what about green velvet? If you’re looking for a festive cupcake idea for St. Patrick’s Day or spring give this green velvet cupcake recipe with cream cheese icing a try.

green velvet cupcakes spp 2

Ingredients:

Green Velvet Cupcakes:

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup butter (softened)
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons kelly green food color
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 1-8 ounce package of cream cheese (room temperature)
  • ½ cup of butter (room temperature)
  • 4 ¾ cup confectioner sugar
  • 3-4 teaspoons of water

1. Preheat your oven to 350`F.

2.While the oven is heating mix up the batter for your green velvet cupcakes. Sift together the flour, baking soda and cocoa in a medium mixing bowl.

3. In a large bowl combine the butter, buttermilk, sugar, eggs, green food color, vinegar, and vanilla.

4. Add in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, pouring slowly.

5. Beat the mixture with a hand mixer on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until well combined.

green velvet cupcake batter 2

6. Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 of the way full with the green velvet cupcake batter.

7. Bake the cupcakes for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Place the finished cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool.

This recipe will make about 2 dozen cupcakes.

green velvet cupcakes spp

To make the Cream Cheese Icing:

1. Cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2. Add the water and confectioner sugar slowly while you mix.

3. Blend until the icing will hold its shape. If the icing is too thin, add a little more confectioner sugar, or refrigerate it for a few minutes to chill it. If it is too stiff add a little more water, one teaspoon at a time.

4. Ice the cupcakes with a spatula, or use a round large decorating tip attached to a pastry bag to swirl the icing onto the cupcakes.

5. Top with green sprinkles and enjoy!

Green velvet cupcakes are perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day school party or an Easter Brunch! They’d also be fabulous mixed with red velvet for a Christmas celebration!

Yummy St. Patrick’s Day Cocktail Recipes

By: comment

Are you planning a little St. Patrick’s Day get together, or you’d just like to celebrate with a couple drinks with friends? Here are a few St. Patrick’s Day Cocktail recipes to help your party planning along. You can make one or make them all and have a little tasting party!

These green and not so green cocktails are all courtesy of Camarena Tequila and Blue Ice Vodka.

Camarena Shamrock Shaker
Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 oz Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila
  • 1/2 oz Sour Apple Liqueur
  • 1/4 oz Agave Nectar
  • 2 oz Lime Juice

Directions:

Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with a fan of thinly sliced green apples.

Emerald Crush

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka
  • 1/2 organic kiwi, peeled
  • 1/2 organic lime, cut into quarters
  • 1 teaspoon organic sugar

Directions:

Muddle fruit and sugar in a mixing glass until well crushed and juicy. Add ice and vodka and shake vigorously. Pour all contents over ice into a tall tumbler and drink with straws.

Señor Patrick’s Salud

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 oz Camarena Reposado Tequila
  • 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey
  • 1 oz Apple Juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Honey
  • 1 oz Ginger Beer
  • Quarter Lime Wedge – Squeezed

Directions:

Combine liquids except ginger beer in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with lime wedge. (Lower Calorie Cocktail: Approximately 106.17 calories based upon 1 oz = 1 ounce)

Green With Envy

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 oz Blue Ice Vodka
  • 1/2 oz Blue Curacao
  • 2 1/2 oz Sweet & Sour
  • 2 oz Orange Juice

Directions:

Blend ingredients together with crushed ice until slushy. Serve in a hurricane style glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry arranged on a pick.

Mexican Shamrock Shooter

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 oz Camarena Silver Tequila
  • 1/3 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
  • 1/3 oz Irish Cream

Directions:

Layer liquids by placing Butterscotch Schnapps in bottom of glass. Slowly pour Irish Cream over back of bar spoon on top of schnapps. Finish with layer of Camarena Silver Tequila poured over back of bar spoon on top of Irish Cream.

As always please remind your guests and yourself to drink responsibly!

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes from Michael Collins

By: comment

St. Patrick’s Day is just a month away, are you ready to celebrate? For me St. Patrick’s Day is always a celebration of spring coming, because by mid March I know it’s just around the corner. If you’re planning to celebrate the green this year I have a couple recipes from Michael Collins to help your St. Patrick’s Day party planning along. The recipes aren’t all for cocktails. I also have a recipe couple delicious recipes to help you with the dinner portion of your party. It’s a traditional St. Patrick’s Day corned beef and cabbage recipe with a few interesting twists.

Did you know that just over 200 years ago, there were over 1,200 Irish whiskey distilleries? Today, there are 3. Despite the decline, Irish Whiskey is making a comeback and the resurgence of Irish Whiskey is leading to innovative cocktails beyond the Irish Car Bomb and Irish Coffee.

Richard Blais, the Top Chef and Culinary Designer known for his Molecular Gastronomy and red hair is turning up the heat this St. Patrick’s Day combining Ireland’s best – Corned Beef, Cabbage and Michael Collins Irish Whiskey to make some very interesting cocktails for St. Patrick’s Day this year. Check it out…

Corned Beef and Cabbage Cocktail – The “Corned Beef Collins”

What do you think? Sound like something you’d drink? I’m not sure, but it might be fun to serve at a party just to see how people react.

Chef Blais didn’t stop there, he prepared a gourmet meal using molecular gastronomy: Corned beef cooked in Michael Collins Whiskey, brown sugar and mustard with cabbage and oak smoked potato cannelloni, now that sounds like something I could enjoy!

Corned Beef Collins

  • 1 ½ oz Michael Collins blended whiskey
  • 2 oz Fresh sour mix
  • 2 oz Club soda
  • 1 eye droplet of Corned beef extract (corned beef drippings from pan)
  • 1 splash Cabbage water
  • Corned beef spices and cabbage oak, aroma
  1. Shake whiskey, corned beef extract and sour mix with ice.
  2. Pour into Collins glass and top with club soda.
  3. Smoke corned beef spice blend (bay leaf, black pepper, coriander, salt, mustard seed) with oak chips and present smoke suspended in covered, inverted glass.
  4. To serve, remove glass to infuse the air with the smell of corned beef and enjoy!

Corned beef cooked in Michael Collins Whiskey, brown sugar and mustard with cabbage and oak smoked potato cannelloni

Corned Beef:

  1. Take a fat piece of corned beef and lather it in equal parts light brown sugar, corning spices, a few splashes of Michael Collins Irish Whiskey and a mild mustard.
  2. Cover in 2 layers of aluminum foil and Cook in a 275 degree oven over night, or for 8-10 hours.

Potato and Cabbage Cannelloni:

  1. Cut off the bottom core of your cabbage and simmer in water with corning spices and a touch of butter
  2. When just cooked to tender, remove cabbage and chill. Reserve cabbage water for cocktails!
  3. Remove the individual cabbage leaves as “sheets” . What isn’t a nice sheet, chop up with some parsley and mix into your mashed potato.
  4. In each sheet, place a line of mashed potato and roll up to form “cannelloni”
  5. To serve the cannelloni, mix some instant potato flakes with grated Irish cheddar and room temperature butter. Top the cannelloni with this mixture and broil or torch to desired crispness.

Slice the corned beef and serve with the whiskey drippings alongside one of the cabbage and potato cannelloni.

Thirsty for more? Try these Michael Collins Irish Whiskey Cocktails created by top mixologists:

Irish Blond (from Dale DeGroff)

  • 2 ounces Michael Collins Irish Whiskey
  • 3/4 ounce Orange Curacao
  • 1/4 ounce Fino sherry
  • Dash of Orange Bitters

Stir all the ingredients in a bar glass with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

Frisky Whisky (Allen Katz)

  • 1 part Michael Collins
  • 1 part Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur
  • 1 part fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 part simple syrup
  • 2 Dashes angostura bitters

As always please remind your guests to drink responsibly.

Cocktail Recipes and Images courtesy of: Michael Collins